The football hangover is finally over, thanks to a new season of English Premier League. England’s top flight football, while not showcasing the quality and flair of its equivalent Spanish and Italian league, still manages to engorge global fans due to its entertainment and unpredictability. This season has witnessed some major changes in team structure and management and has started in a breathtaking pace. So, can Manchester City hold on to their title? Or will we see a major upset this season? Let’s delve into how clubs have managed to perform so far.

The biggest change for any club this season came for Arsenal, who were without their talismanic manager Arsene Wenger for the first time in 22 years. Unai Emery, ex-manager of Paris Saint-Germain, took over form him in hopes of pivoting the club to Champions League football. The first two test for the London club was harsh. Playing against Chelsea and Arsenal, Arsenal slumped into a defeat in both those matches, despite decent performance. Influential midfielder Mezut Ozil, retiring from German International football after bouts of racism related incidences, failed to deliver in both those matches. However, follow-up victories against West Ham and Cardiff have revived some hope from Arsenal fans, who remain optimistic of a fantastic season under the new manager.

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, remained calm at the start of the season. With a few high-profile signing under his belt, including that of Leicester City midfielder Riyad Mahrez, Guardiola downplayed the prospect of retaining the title. However, City’s performance in the season so far shows that they are determined in holding on to the coveted trophy. With a 6-1 thumping of Huddersfield Town, which saw Sergio Aguero score a hat-trick, they have managed to claim 10 out of 12 possible points in the first four games.

After the sacking of Antonio Conte, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich entrusted Maurizio Sarri to lead his club to Premier League glory. Despite rumors of Real Madrid being interested in star player Eden Hazard, the transfer never materialized. The Belgium was instrumental in Chelsea’s four wins in four games so far. With the arrival of Brazilian Jorginho, Chelsea’s star-studded side will be formidable if they continue to keep up the momentum.

Banking on their forward strength, which includes the mercurial Mo Salah, menacing Roberto Firminho, and brutalist Sadio Mane, Liverpool might just have the edge to win this year’s Premier League. Manager Jürgen Klopp, with his never-ending energy on the sidelines, has created a team that already was devastating last season. Strengthening their defense, with Brazilian footballer Alisson Becker, Liverpool has managed to win their first four games, conceding just one in the process. They are poised to be the team in form and has to ensure they display champion-esque mentality by grinding out result in touch matches to come.

Meanwhile, Watford has also started the season quite strong, collecting all possible points. Tottenham Hotspur managed to go through the entire transfer window without signing any player. However, can Harry Kane work up his magic yet again to ensure they pose a genuine threat to the other clubs? Manchester United, however, have failed to deliver in the league so far, resulting manager Jose Mourinho to come under intense pressure.

The first four games of the English Premier League has demonstrated why fans adore the competition. Unexpected results, intense football and never-ending drama – the league of all leagues have begun at a fast pace and promises to deliver throughout the year.

Patricia Kellogg is a journalist who has held many editorial roles at numerous high-profile publishers – both offline as well as online. She has an experience of more than 10 years in editing and proofreading articles across a range of sectors. She is also well versed with handling academic journal articles, theses, technical manuals, press releases, reports, feature articles, web site content, promotional material, policy papers, and grant proposals.